Car coupler



Nov. 27, 1923.

. H. E. VAN DORN CAR COUPLER Filed Aug. 5.1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 five 70 507? v W W Nov. 27 1923. ,475,609

7 I a H. E. VAN DORNV 01m COUPLER Filed Aug. 5, '1921 2 s e ts-sheet 2 I 70019 mia 2" IZZ' JM Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES HERBERT E. VAN DOBN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR COUPLER.

. Application filed August 5, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, HERBERT E. VAN DORN, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car Couplers, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a partof this specification.

In some types of automatic car couplers as, for example, that disclosed in my prior application Serial No. 317,111, filed August 13, 1919, there is nothing exposed to show a switchman or the like in just what position the locking block is and he must therefore guess at it. The principal object of the present invention is to provide an automatic -car coupler with an indicator visible from the exterior of the coupler, to show exactly the positionin which the locking block or dog may beat any given instant. This may conveniently be accomplished by rigidly fastening/the usual handle, employed for manual operation, directly to the locking dog or to actuating parts which are compelled to move in unison with the dog; thus combining in one devicethe functions of a handle and of anindicator.

In applying-my combined handle and indicator t0 the coupler disclosed in y aforesaid application, certain changes in the controlling meansvfor the lock, which is in the form of a bail, are desirable and, viewed in one of its aspects, my invention may be said to have for its object to simplify and im prove the controllingmeans for a horizontally-swinging locking bail.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out. with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a coupler arranged in accordance with a preferred form of my invention, a fragment of Serial No. 489,952.

:11, co-operating coupler being shown in dotted ines- Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, only a fragment of the coupler being shown, and

the parts being in unlocked positions;

I Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the eccentric sleeves forming the pivotal supports for the locking dog or bail.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a hollow coupler head having at one side :1 forwardly-projecting hook, 2, adapted to enter a chamber, 3, in the front end of the head beside the hook on a co-operating coupler. Within the chamber 3 at the base of the hook is a vertical pin, 4, on which swings a locking bail, 5. The locking bail does not bear directly upon the pin 4 but is separated therefrom vby means of eccentric sleeves, 6, one in the upper arm of the bail and the other in the lower arm. The upper eccentric sleeve has a horizontal flange or wing, 7 projecting radially from the lower end while the lower sleeve has a similar flange or wing, 7 projecting radially from the upper end thereof. The two flanges or wings, 7, are provided with peripheral notches, 8, which, when the parts are assembled, lie directly above each other. Surrounding and journaled on the pin 4: be-

tween the top of the bottom eccentric sleeve and the bottom of the upper eccentric sleeve, is an actuating plate, 9, having arms, 10 and 11, extending respectively upwardly into and through the notch 8 associated with the upper eccentric sleeve and downwardly throughthe notch associated with the lower eccentric sleeve. The inner ends of the arms of the locking bail are provided with notches, 12, registering with the notches 8 but somewhat longer than the latter when measured angularly about the axis of the pin 1. The arms 10 and 11 project into these notches, 12, so that when the actuating plate is turned in one direction or the other, the first effect is to turn the eccentric sleeves and shift the locking bail bodily in the direction of its length, and then swing the bail about its pivotal axis. A spring,

.13, arranged between a projection, 14, on

one end of the actuating plate, and rearwardly-directed shoulders, 15, within the hollow hook of the coupler, tends constantly to swing and hold the actuating plate in its locking position.

The parts heretofore described are all, except perhaps as to minor details, the same as the corresponding parts in the coupler shown in my aforesaid application and therefore need not be further explained.

The actuating plate, 9, has two rearwardlyprojecting ears, 16, between which lies one end of a connecting rod, 17 a pin, 18, passing through the ears and the connecting rod to secure them pivotally together. The opposite end ofthe connecting rod is pivotally connected, as by means of a pin,'19, to -a'n arm, 20, fixed to and extending radially from a vertical uncoupling shaft, 21. The shaft, 21, has fixed thereto at one end, on the exterior of the coupler, an actuatinglever or handle, 22. lVhenever the handle or lever 22 is actuated, the locking dog or bail, 5, is'also actuated. Similarly, whenever the locking dog or bailmoves the actuating lever or han- I dle is also caused to move. In other words, the actuating lever or handle on the exterior of the coupler always shows accurately" the position in which the locking dog or bail is at any given time.

The spring, 13, tends always to hold the locking dog or bail in its locking-position and therefore it is necessary to provide means which will hold the'locking'jdog or bail in its unlocked position, which means can be tripped, as conditions require. In the arrangement shown thereis mounted in the coupler head behind the locking dog a horizontally-swinging pawl, 23, provided with a spring, 2 1, tending constantly to swing the nose of the pawl rearwardly, the parts being so proportioned that when the actuatinglever or handle is swung into'the unloclr ing position as shown'in Fig. 2', the pawl, 23, automatically drops into place behind the rocker arm, 20, preventing'the return of the parts to the locking positions until the pawl is tripped. The pawl is provided with a projection, 25, which extends outwardly through an opening, 26, in 'thewall of the coupler when in the position shownin Fig.

2, and the pawl may readily be tripped-by a workman pressing his foot against the projection 25 or by pressing this projection inwardly'in any other suitable manner. The

pawl may be automatically tripped by the engagement of a cog-operating coupler hook with a forwardly-projecting extension, 27, which, with the pawl proper, forms an approximately U-shaped device thearms of which lie respectively in front ofand behind the locking bail. When the parts" arelocked in the open or release positions as indicated in Fig. 2, and two couplers are brought to- .with the rocker arm, 20.

I' claim:

1. A coupler comprising a chambered head, a locking dog within said head, a spring tending to hold said dog in looking position, an actuating shaft mounted in said head, mechanism betweensaidshaft and said dog for causingsaid dog to move when said shaft is turned, aspring-actuated pawl in the chamber in the head in position to engage said mechanism and hold thed'og in release position after it has been moved into' that position, anda part on said pawl projecting to the exterior of said head on one side of the latter to permitthe pawl to be manually tripped.

2. A coupler comprising a chambered head, a locking dog within saidhead, a spring tending'to hold said dog in looking position, an actuating 'shaft'mount'ed in said head, mechanism between said shaft and'said dog forcausing said dog to move when said shaft is turned, a spring aotuated pawl in the chamber in the head in 'position 'to engage said meohanism and hold the'dog in release position after it has been moved into that position, said pawl being arranged behind said locking dog, and an extension projecting from the base ofsaid pawl forwardly rod between saidarm'and said dog, and an actuating handle'fixed to-the shaft on'the exterior of the coupler so asfto serve as a combined handle and an indicatorof the position ofthe'lockingdog. I

1. A coupler compri'ng 'af chambered head, a horizontally swinging locking dog within said head, a spring tendin tohold said dog in looking position, a vertical actuating' shaft mounted in'said head" and provided with an arm projecting radially therefrom, a connecting rod between; said arm and said dog," and 'a: spring-actuated pawl in the chamber in the headin'position to engage said arm to 'holdt-he dogin its released position. v

5. A coupler comprising achambered head, a locking dog within said head, 1!. moved into that position, said head having spring tending to hold said dog in locking an opening in one side thereof, and a part position, actuating means for moving said on said dog projecting through said opening. 10

dog into a released position, a spring-ac- In testimony whereof, I sign this specifi- 5 tuated pawl in the chamber in the head in cation.

position to engage said mechanism and hold a the dog in released position after it has been HERBERT E. VAN DORN. 

